Roy Halladay On Drugs During Fatal Plane Crash

Legendary pitcher brought down by deadly mix of drugs

Roy Halladay was one of the best pitchers of his generation – and over his 16-year career saw eight All-Star selections, two Cy Young Awards, a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter.

This sheer talent makes his death that much more tragic. At the time of his death, Halladay was living in Odessa with his family, where he spent the Spring volunteering as an assistant baseball coach on son’s team, at Calvary Christian High School.

As reports come back from the autopsy after his November plane crash, it’s clear that drugs likely played a role in the fatal incident.

A former medical officer for the National Transportation Safety Board said he was shocked by the level of amphetamines listed last week in the autopsy of the former Phillies pitcher.

“I saw that number,” Dr. Michael Garber told Forbes of the level of amphetamines in Halladay’s cardiac blood, which was 1,800 nanograms per milliliter. “And said, ‘Am I reading that right? 1800, holy cow.’ That just jumps off the page at me.”

Amphetamines can cause death at 500 ng/ml and an overdose can could lead to reckless piloting of an airplane or debilitate the pilot with convulsions, hallucinations, restlessness and cardiac arrest.

“Assuming the toxicology report is accurate, the level of amphetamine in his blood is consistent with either an overdose or amphetamine addiction,” Garber told Forbes. “He’s exhibiting wild behaviors that could be the result of amphetamines in his system.”

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